Kindred Spirits
by Stormsandskieslover
Summary: Because it's not everyday Itachi Uchiha wakes up with pink hair.
1. Chapter 1

_Kindred spirit- a person whose interests or attitudes are similar to one's own._

Whipping wintry winds pierced through the shattered windows with ease, followed by two quick shadows flickering inside the mansion. The shadowy figures briefly paused to shake the snow off their cloaks. The glow of the full moon revealed the red clouds underneath. The young girl hidden under the bed shuddered from recognition and the streaming wind.

Akatsuki. Anyone who lived in small villages knew of them. She reveled in her wisdom of hiding immediately when the branch soared through her window.

The girl whimpered and curled up tighter, for they were in her house, _in her room_. She held back her fear and stared hard at the legs that were currently pacing the floor nearby the bed. Why were they here? What did they want? Tears were pricking her eyes and she quietly pulled the loose floorboard up. Her pale hand was shaking as it searched for her target through the hay, lingering on a piece of parchment until it settled for the knife instead. The knife cut relentlessly into her palm but she clutched it closer to her chest all the same. She was sure that Papa heard the crash and would be here in a minute, along with their strongest servants. She was sure of it. And they would stop the bad men and she would be okay. She opened her eyes-she didn't realize she had closed them when was cut- and stared horrified.

There were only one set of feet when there were two. Where was the other one? She started to tremble against the hardwood floor. It had been a few minutes. Where was Papa?

The door crashed open, causing the girl to jump and bang her head against the metal frame of the mattress. Luckily, she was smart enough to clamp her mouth shut to stop the groan of anguish. Unluckily, with the people she was dealing with, that wouldn't be enough. Giant legs went and stood next to the smaller form.

"The target?" A male voice abruptly called out, shattering the former silence. A deep chuckle resounded in response. "The guy squealed like a pig. It's where you figured it would be." A strange, dark liquid was pooling onto the floor from the large one and smelled slightly metallic. The girl's eyes widened and her tremors started anew for she knew it was blood. And if it were his blood, the man wouldn't laugh, wouldn't seem so content. So it had to be someone else's blood.

 _Her Papa!_

The smaller figure slowly walked towards her bedroom door. At this angle, she could see long dark hair and pale hands, almost as pale as her own from living in this cloudy village all her life. If she could see better, she would have seen crimson eyes that bled through the nighttime and stared into her soul. The door opened-much gentler- and the figure stopped when the large one called out, "What about the last one?" The figure lingered before continuing out the door. "Just don't cause a bigger commotion than you did breaking in. "

Those words sealed her fate.

The deep chuckle resounded and bounced against the walls until the shrieking wind caught the noise. The large feet walked slowly-oh so slowly- out of her room and down the hall until she couldn't hear anything but the wind. The girl stayed there for a long while, wanting to be sure it would be safe to come out. But it would never be safe, it never was with them.

The girl inched forward, _I have to find Papa!,_ when a vise-like grip wrapped around her ankles and pulled. She slid out from under the bed easier than a knife slid into butter, or better yet, a sword into a man. Her chin banged harshly against the wooden floor. Her pale purple nightgown rode up her scrawny legs and tore a little when it got caught against the knife she dropped in shock. She was drug away, screams caught in the wintry winds and heard by no one. Eventually, the two Akatsuki members were on the road again, a new scroll of parchment from a safe in one of their weapon pouches.

 _"Papa!"_

Mission accomplished.

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"An Akatsuki sighting?! Where? Are you sure?" The head police officer in a small town near Amegakure shot rapid fire questions for which he demanded answers. His subordinate gulped and replied, hesitating slightly.

"We are certain, Captain. The Yufukuna family has been found by a recent patrol who happened to be in the area. The head of the family, Sobokuna Yufukuna, and his daughter, Fumiko, have been found dead." The captain gulped, eyes bugging out, and face draining color. He slowly walked over to his desk and reached for the framed picture.

"How do you know it was the Akatsuki?"

A tiny, pale girl with dark hair was smiling brightly, sitting next to a grinning, blushing boy with blonde hair-his son- while his beautiful wife wrapped a red blanket around their shoulders. The deep color contrasted greatly with the whiteness of the never dissipating clouds. The burgundy blanket seemed to transform in front of him, melting into a liquid that stained the now frowning girl. Her black eyes seemed to stare into his soul. He shuddered and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the picture revealed nothing but cold, smiling faces.

"Fumiko was found wrapped in one of those wretched cloaks. We matched the material to the one that was torn from the last fight. I'm so sorry, sir. The rivaling sector of Amegakure shinobi refuse to aid us on discovering the purpose of the attack. They said they couldn't clash with the Akatsuki if they wanted to keep the village in tact." The subordinate flinched when the captain abruptly slammed his fist onto the desk. He replied, "We are going to avenge this attack if it is the last thing I do," he growled, "And we are going to need some help."

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"Your mission is to investigate the murders of the Yufukuna family and gather any intel on this 'Akatsuki' group. They are a minor organization but their goals are unclear. Do I make myself clear?" The three ninja kneeling replied with a sharp, "Yes, Hokage-sama," and flashed out of the room.

It wasn't like the Hokage didn't know about the Akatsuki. He had his very own spy within its clutches. But he couldn't contact Jiraiya often or with too much information without exposing himself. So gathering as much intel as the village could would be their goal.

The Sandaime Hokage glanced back at the file in his hand. A wealthy family murdered, but nothing notable stolen or noticed. How peculiar, and even more so, the nearest shinobi village refused to investigate a seemingly simple case. Hiruzen knew something was obviously amiss and sent one of his best teams. The mission payed handsomely and looking at the smiling face of a dead twelve year old girl, he knew he couldn't sit back and do nothing. He's always had a soft spot for children, revealed by the way he always thought of Naruto, little Konohamaru, and his newest, indirect ward, Sasuke. He sighed in regret and looked out the window, thinking of the last child he could do nothing for, the child who would never walk in light again.

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Two weeks later, the team he assigned to investigate the Yufukuna case returned. They flashed in and knelt before Hiruzen and little Naruto, whose big blue eyes stared blankly and slightly suspicious. Hiruzen smiled gently, usher the boy from his office. Hiruzen held out a few coins.

"Here, Naruto. Why don't you go and get some ramen?" The preteen blonde boy grabbed the offered money and dashed off with grin. "See ya next week, Gramps!" As soon as the door eased shut, Hiruzen's gentle smile withered slightly. The squad was still kneeling, heads bowed respectfully.

"Alright. Report."

The ninja on his left replied, head still down. "It has been confirmed. This enigma group, Akatsuki, is behind the death of the Yufukuna family, a family built on the wealth of their silk production. The reason for their death is unknown due to the fact that nothing was stolen, except for an empty safe. We noticed the lack of destructive marks on the safe, so we presume that it was willingly opened, most likely under duress as an attempt to preserve their lives. There must have been something of extreme value, something the Akatsuki were after for them to abandon their wealth. We surveyed the house and found more hidden compartments throughout the mansion. " The ninja kneeling in the middle of the other two performed a few hand signs, a with a poof of white smoke, a small weathered box appeared.

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Take this to the decrypting sector. I want to know every hidden detail in those scrolls. Then return to complete your report immediately after."

After a collective, "Yes, Hokage-sama," the team was gone.

Little did they know, the answer to their puzzle had fallen from a slight, slight hole in the bottom corner of the worn box and was in the hands of a prepubescent civilian child.

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The tiny pink-haired girl child stared at the little piece of parchment wonderingly. It was only slightly longer than her index finger and just as wide. She had never seen such a scroll before, a feat considering the twelve year-old spent her non-stalking time at the library. She had read most of the scrolls available and had managed to sneak past the snoring librarian to stow away in the upper levels, forbidden to little academy students.

She needed to return this to those Shinobi as soon as possible! The girl adjusted her newly awarded head protector onto of her pink locks. She started after the ninja, fully intending to deliver the scroll to the Hokage himself. Maybe this information could save the village from some unknown enemy she didn't have clearance to know about!

Then she wondered. What would vital information to Konaha look like? She paused from her brisk walk and turned into an alleyway. Maybe just a peek...

She let out a deep breath and hesitantly opened it, revealing-

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Nothing. The barren plain revealed nothing. The only features to gaze upon were a few thrushes and mice scampering among the dehydrated ferns. So few people traveled on these parts that there wasn't even a path. This is where the bloody Akatsuki member found himself grumbling about the cold and kicking a few stones. His accomplice only raised a slim brow.

"You shouldn't have left your cloak."

The taller, larger man turned beady eyes towards the smaller. "Watch yourself, kid. I don't need some smart mouthed runt telling me what to do." The smaller of the two stared blankly in response.

"Then stop acting so foolish." Most would have thought the larger man would have been angry but instead he threw his head back and unleashed a loud, echoing laugh. "Boy, Itachi, I never thought you would take the bait!" The guffaws started up again, painting the bluish, brutish man a slight purple shade. The smaller one, Itachi, just raised an eyebrow and continued to walk.

The laughs were loud enough to cause any living thing in the vicinity to hide, a feeling Itachi had borne for a very long time now.

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The two Akatsuki members quickly darted through the rain. The cloud covered moon above them was full and bright, dimly lighting the way. They stopped in front of a large metal structure that perched over Amegakure.

Itachi quickly pressed against the metal door, causing it to open with a small screech. The lack of security didn't faze them; they knew that any intruders would never have made it this far through Amekagure if Pein didn't want them to.

The two men darted inside and took off their drenched cloaks. (Itachi had his standard Akatsuki cloak, his partner picked up a plain black one in the previous town.) They headed though the hideout and converged with several others in the same cloaks. The smallest of the group detached and faced them. The light fixtures casted shadows across her full features, causing a look of malevolence to overcome the normally placid expression.

"Leader-sama wishes to see you two immediately." The lithe blue haired female gestured to a pile of freshly washed towels placed onto a nearby table and turned to face her longtime companion. The other Akatsuki members stared emotionless as the duo crossed to their leader, though there was thinly veiled hatred in the eyes of the blonde member.

Konan's companion was a man with metal piercings and orange hair. Leader-sama. Pein. He was lounging against a door that led to his favorite place of all: the balcony overlooking Ame.

"I trust you have acquired the target." As Kisame voiced approval, Itachi upended a small pocket in his pouch.

Itachi produced the tiniest scroll he had seen in a long time, slightly smaller than his longest finger. Their leader raised an eyebrow. "Open it."

Itachi kept his face carefully blank but felt the slightest bit of trepidation. Only a fool would open an unknown scroll that could contain just about any justu, item, or curse imaginable.

But he also was able to rationalize that Pein wouldn't carelessly throw away his best operative just for kicks. So Itachi, careful not to use his chakra, opened it.

And nothing happened.

The scroll was blank. At Pein's nod, Itachi rolled the scroll up and set it before him. Pein looked pleased and Kisame seemed slightly miffed, after all that he and Itachi had been through for a piece of paper! Kisame huffed and stormed off. Meanwhile, Itachi analyzed the scroll harmlessly laid on the nearby table with his Sharingan.

What was the point of this? Was it Madara? Itachi was puzzled by the lack of information the scroll gave. It didn't activate or react, he noted as Pein sent a wave of chakra into the parchment. Nothing is happening.

But something would happen. Just later. Perhaps later that night.

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Itachi knew something was wrong as soon as his mind slipped into wakefulness. While keeping his breathing even, he barely opened his eyes. Pale walls, a brown nightstand to his left that had a half glass of water perched on it, a wide window directly in front of the pink bed. His eyes drifted towards the pink door before an unknown voice sharply called out.

"Darling, you're gonna be late. Get a move on!" A female, he noted, with little chakra. A civilian. There weren't any aggressive tones in her speech so he felt certain that either the civilian didn't know he was here and she was calling for someone else, or she actually was calling out to him (unlikely, she had called for her 'darling' after all) so he wasn't a prisoner, due to lack of restraints. After ascertaining that he wasn't in danger, he awakened fully. His body felt incredibly light as he sat up.

I don't seem to be injured, he thought. He didn't even feel his pervasive sickness lingering. His chakra though..it was so low. He could not recall fighting anyone recently, at least no one who would require his chakra to be drained so extensively. Perhaps this was Kisame's doing, Itachi inwardly scowled. This wasn't the slightest bit amusing, though he was curious as to how Kisame pulled this off. No one else would trifle with him like this. Sighing, he ran his hand through his unbound locks of hair, frowning when his hand encountered a tangle. Iachi pulled the piece over his shoulder and his eyes widened.

Pink. He was clutching pink hair. He inhaled sharply and quickly covered his mouth.

Calm down, calm down, he told himself as he evened out his breathing. Luckily, no one noticed his very manly yell. Unluckily, someone noticed the high pitched shriek. Of all things to lose composure over, he sighed, pinching his nose. For some reason, his emotions seemed very overwhelming. His normal sereneness had vanished, along with his normal clothes. Why was he in pink?

"Why are you screaming? It's past time for breakfast, hurry up!

Why was the woman yelling? There were sounds of stomping towards his room. He leapt out of bed, intending on finding a hiding spot and a weapon when an abrupt bout of dizziness overtook him. He staggered back to the bed. He couldn't move.

He tensed as the woman barged in, hands on hips. He immediately surveyed her person, determining if she were a threat. It wasn't likely, but some shinobi had the immense chakra control to make their reserves seemingly shrink. She had shoulder length blonde hair with a swatch covering her forehead. Her skin was fair and stood out against large viridian eyes. Her pale hand stayed on her hand while the other fumbled with her loosened apron string. She scowled at the sight of him.

"Sakura Haruno, why are you still in bed? You're going to be late for meeting your team!"


	2. Chapter 2

Itachi just stared.

And stared. And continued to stare as the woman's face morphed into one of concern.

"What's wrong, Sakura? Are you feeling alright? Please, I'm your mother. You can tell me anything."

"..." He oh so eloquently spoke. The woman leaned forwards, as if to touch him. He flinched and subconciously reached for his weapons pouch. He internally cursed when he realized he still didn't know where his weapons (and his hair color!) had gone.

"I think I know what is really going on," she said darkly, eyes narrowing.

Did she know what was going on? He wondered, more than a little suspicious of this civilian. Especially since she looked as if she were bracing for something. Then she smiled widely, a strange feat when her eyes were glaring.

Did she do this to him? And why did her facial expressions change so much? he wondered, utterly exasperated. Who was this woman and where was he?

The boy tensed, ready to move at a moment's notice.

"You started your period!" She purred, jade eyes gleaming.

He could feel his face drain of color. Well, that was until a tsunami wave of heat rushed to his cheeks.

A choked noise escaped his throat.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Darling! It's a wonderful time where you fully blossom into a woman. The cramping and bleeding suck but- hey, where you going?"

Itachi had bolted out the door, passing the woman who was so so proud of her little girl- woman. He dashed into the hallway (passing a brown bookcase and a narrow stairwell) and into the closest door away from _her_.

The room was relatively small. Brown walls and cool tile floors surrounding a simple sink and toilet. A tiny table was situated nearby. After noting all of this, Itachi quickly determined that he could easily destroy the table and fashion a weapon. Unfortunately, his body was too weak; he could feel perspiration budding on flushed cheeks just from his escape. He began to pace.

She had to be insane. Just because he had pink hair did not make him a girl! He was masculine for crying out loud. This was worse than the time when a few clansmen thought he was a girl, just because he had long hair and hadn't gone through puberty yet. (He stoically bore the insult and his eight year old brain swore vengeance until his mother came and showed them the power of _real_ ovaries _._ ) He is 100% male!

And why was she calling him Sakura?

What kind of mother mixes her kid with a man? What kind of sick joke was Kisame pulling? He had to get out of here.

He crossed the cool floor and went to open the window. Itachi made to thrust the window open until he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the clean glass.

Oh no.

He backed away slowly, eyes never leaving the reflection. Abruptly, he tore his gaze away and walked determinedly towards the mirror poised above the little white sink.

Itachi Uchiha could not believe what he was seeing.

Jade eyes met his. He reached up and touched his face. A small, pale hand followed his movements until it rested against a softly flushed cheek. The hand trailed to small rosebud lips, which parted to reveal white, even teeth. His brow furrowed, only for the girl in the mirror to copy. He tousled his hair, causing the mirror copy's pink locks to tangle.

Itachi firmly closed his eyes and fisted the edge of the sleeping shirt. Slowly, his eyes opened to see a girl whose frustration was so obvious. It almost hurt; he could easily determine every emotion the pale face portrayed.

What happened to him?

Itachi-the girl-no! turned away from the mirror and and stared blankly at the floor in utter shock. The previous bought of dizziness came stronger this time and his head became too muddled with shock to think properly.

Whatdowhatdowhatdowhatdo.

What on earth was he? What was going on?

Genjustu. It had to be, he deluded himself despite the fact there's no genjustu strong enough to stop him this long. He ignored the pale hands that copied the hand signs he made.

"Release!" Nothing happened.

"Release!" Nothing happened.

"Release! Release!" Nothing happened.

A knock gently sounded at the door. "Sakura? Sweetie, is something the matter?" At the lack of response, the wooden door opened. He must of been in too much shock to lock the door, a mistake he would never make again. The woman came in carrying a bundle of clothing. She smiled at him.

He just stared blankly.

"I'm sorry if I upset you before. Periods are nothing to be ashamed of- really." She set the clothes down onto the table near the sink.

"Breakfast will be downstairs when you're ready." And with that, the door shut, leaving him alone once again.

Huh. She could be normal.

His shock manifested into outrage and fear. He started to pace.

How could this happen! What was going on? If this isn't a genjustu, then what was it?

Mid-pace, he spared a glance at the frightened features caught in the gold framed mirror.

Watery green eyes. Pale brow screwed up. Slightly chapped lips pouting.

His inner turmoil was boiling over and making it difficult to sort out his thoughts from the clouding doubt and frustration.

This simply would not do, he mused as he slid down the wall. He pulled his legs close and took a deep breath. For a brief moment, he thought he heard a voice. He quickly discerned that besides him, there was only one other chakra signature in the building. He clasped his hands into a familiar sign.

I haven't needed to do this since I was a genin, he thought, amused until meditation soon cleared all of his thoughts.

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It was decided. He would fulfill the role as Sakura as a way to observe. This way he could possibly determine the goals of the purportrators who forced him into this position.

After he wrapped up all of his emotions and locked them away deep inside, Itachi rose from the floor. He still couldn't place his supposed face but at least he could recognize the blank countenance.

He was bewildered but no one else had to know about it.

First, he needed to get dressed. Itachi pushed the Konoha headband aside and reached for the bundle of clothing. He almost flinched when some plain white undergarments fell to the floor. He remained calm (more like forced the blush away) and ignored the fallen items.

The ones he (she?) was wearing were probably fine. He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the sleep clothing off. With light touches, he pulled on the verrrrryyyyyy impractical dress and shorts and situated them. (He was able to feel the direction of the garments by their tags.) The dress was an awkward length from the feel of it. The shorts were tightly squeezing his lower half uncomfortably. At least he was familiar with standard Konoha headband.

He opened his eyes and tentatively faced the mirror. (He swore to himself that there would be no tentativeness when he left the bathroom.) The bright red attire, he could admit, made the girl in the mirror look cute in a sort of childish way, but it was wholly inappropriate for ninja activity. In hindsight, he would realize he called himself 'cute' and would vehemently swear that he is a manly man (even as a prepubescent girl-child-man-thing) and would never be cute.

Itachi cautiously opened the door and followed the scent of food downstairs. The kitchen was plain, but homey, giving an atmosphere of comfort and relaxation.

He certainly didn't feel that at Uchiha Manor.

The mother was gracefully placing plates onto the table when she finally noticed him.

"Your father left already so it's just us. That idiot forgot about some deadline and almost rushed out the door before his pants were on!" She smiled and rolled her eyes.

He blinked. His mother never voiced her complaints about his father to Itachi or Sasuke, so this was highly unusual. Then again, simple civilian families had the luxury of not being forced into facades in order to maintain political face.

She gestured to the table and turned back to the stove. He slipped into the chair and surveyed the food in front of him for poison discreetly. A snort resounded from behind, causing him to jump.

"Give me some credit. I didn't add any extra sugar so I wouldn't ruin your 'diet'." She placed a dish of freshly cut fruit and sat down across from him. Hesitantly, he served himself some plain rice and an apple. His stomach felt too tight to eat but he knew he would need the energy. They sat in comfortable silence as they ate.

"Thank you for the food," he murmured once he took a last bite from the apple. The woman swallowed and nodded. She stood and adjusted his headband, pushing it from his forehead and onto his head .

He wasn't sure why. Wasn't the point of having a forehead protector to protect a person's forehead? he wondered as the woman ushered him out the door.

"Have a good day at the academy! And remember to be friendly to your team, even if you don't like them."

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Itachi peaked out from the alleyway he was currently stationed in.

Left? Nothing.

Right? Nothing.

Behind? Below? Above? Nothing.

He sighed in relief. Who knew screeching blondes were so terrifying?

He had been simply walking towards the academy, basking in the warm looks instead of the distrustful, fearful ones he was acquainted with when all of a sudden, some loony girl started yelling very obnoxiously. Startled, he paused, and realizing there was no real danger (no killing intent or answering chakra spikes), continued to walk.

Oh how wrong he was.

The blonde dashed from her perch in the doorway of a flower shop to him in a blink of an eye. He tried to ignore her, hoping she would leave, and started walking quicker. The blonde shot out an arm and restrained his wrist. Shinobi instincts flaring, he narrowed his eyes and tensed in preparation, trying to decide if he needed to deal out a can of butt whooping. He yanked his wrist from her weak hold.

The loon didn't like that.

"You're early Forehead! You're trying to beat me to him aren't you? Well it won't work because today, I am going to sit with him and be on his team!" She let of a squeal, a squeal that he had heard a long time ago and only then.

Fangirl.

He shuddered and tried to forget.

"Are you even listening?!" He turned towards the girl.

"Excuse me, but are you talking to me?" He inquired politely. He could only hope this wasn't a close friend of his and he didn't know it.

Oh, Loony Girl did _not_ like that. She flicked her blonde ponytail over her shoulder and narrowed blue eyes at him.

"Trying to be cool, huh? Well Sasuke is wayyyyy cooler than you!" Sasuke? His Sasuke? There's no way he would fraternize with fangirls.

If he did, well, then he _totally_ deserved another round of tsukuyomi.

"Righttttt. I'm going to go now." He took a few steps and then ran as quickly as possible.

Letting out a shriek on a caliber of an angry reptile, she pounced after him.

"Oh, I don't think so chick!" He muttered and flashed into the nearest alley. Thus landing him in his current predicament. After checking his surroundings one more time, he took to the roofs in a chakra enhanced speed that would leave a civilian utterly breathless.

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Luckily, there were no other incidents on his way to the academy. He was in the middle of guessing which room he was in when a familiar face popped out from the room in the far left and smiled warmly towards him.

"Ah, good morning Sakura! Come on in, there's no reason to be nervous." So Iruka thought his indecisiveness was hesitance. That would be fine, Itachi reasoned. Don't suspect him of being anything other than nervous academy student.

Itachi didn't know where Sakura normally sat, but he knew there were never any assigned seats, so he took the table at the very back. Some may say this was a sign of a student not being engaged or caring about class, but as a ninja, he was wise for keeping his back against a wall and being able to observe the class in it's entirety.

A few students had arrived when he came. Itachi's breath left his lungs and he could not help but stare in a fond, yet despairing stare.

He still had the same spikey hair. He was taller, to be expected, yet his frame was still delicate. It was obvious that he took to their mother's side with his fair skin and deep, dark eyes.

But the hate and disinterest in his glare when they made eye contact as he entered, was all Itachi's. And it made him sick. The look he gave was so ugly it almost startled him.

Obviously, Sasuke would not have looked happy or excited to see him, Itachi told himself when his brother broke eye contact sat with his back turned to him. Itachi half expected him to bound anxiously towards him, begging him to to teach him. But that obviously wasn't Sasuke and nor would be him ever again.

Oh little brother, how you have grown.

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A few minutes too eight found the class mostly full. Many students eagerly bragged about their skills to each other to cover their nervousness. Some sat quietly, but most were too anxious for that.

He almost cringed when the blonde loon from before entered the room. He could have sworn that he could feel her gaze like a laser on his skin but the feeling quickly faded when she set her sights on his little brother. She skipped merrily towards the empty seat near him when another blonde sat down in that precise spot.

"What!" She gasped, genuinely perplexed that someone didn't realize that she was totally going to sit there.

"Ino," a sleepy boy with spiked hair, most likely a Nara considering his resemblance to Shikaku, drawled, "there's a seat near me."

Inosaurus hissed, "Naruto stole my spot by Sasuke. He's ruining my plan of making Sasuke fall in love with me! So no, I will not give up, Shikamaru!" Shikamaru just rolled his eyes.

"Naruto! Get out of my seat!" She yelled, arms crossed and eyes narrowed into slits.

"I really don't get what they see in you," Naruto turned towards Sasuke and set a concentrated stare on him, effectively ignoring Ino.

"NARUTO!" Ionsaurus roared, fully prepared to beat the poor kid. Naruto, forgoing his previous seat, perched on the table in front of Sasuke. He glared, determined to understand why the heck girls loved him so much.

Itachi couldn't help the small smile that arose when Sasuke took the bait and glared back. Itachi was straining to hear the "What are you doing, Dobe?" When IT happened. He could have sworn it happened in slow motion.

A shove from behind caused Naruto to topple forwards. Itachi could almost imagine the look on Sasuke's face as Naruto's mouth and atrocious orange jumpsuit inched closer every passing second. Naruto's eyes widened in horror and comprehension as it dawned on him what the outcome of his fall would be. His brother's body started to push himself out of the way and Naruto attempted to stop his fall, all to no avail.

Then their mouths collided. The sounds of anger and disappointment shot out of every girl's mouth but his.

That's how Itachi witnessed his brother's first kiss. And Itachi laughed.

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After the debacle, Iruka came and shut everyone up. The class quickly acquiesced, all eager to find out their teams. He paid rapt attention; he didn't want to miss his brother's team.

"...Team Seven: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno (Naruto let out a cheer of approval), and Sasuke Uchiha-"

"Man Iruka-Sensei! Why does a super awesome ninja like me have to be paired up with a lame one like Sasuke?" He yelled indignantly. Inosaurus and the Fangirl Brigade let out matching wails at realizing they weren't on Sasuke's team. Iruka closed his eyes and his chakra spiked slightly in annoyance.

"Naruto, we have to make the teams even in skill set. Sasuke has the best marks and you have the worst. Now don't interrupt me again!" Naruto grumbled at this but became quiet all the same.

"Now. Where was I? Ah, Team Eight..."

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After the teams were decided, the class was released to lunch. Itachi, wanting to get as far away from Sasuke as he could, flashed out of there. It _hurt_ to see his brother. Especially, when he was so unhappy. All because of him, but it had to be done. These feelings would probably only intensify since they were on the same team.

Itachi found a small park bench and unwrapped his lunch of rice balls. Just for all of this trouble, he promised himself a stick of dango after the team meeting.

Itachi munched on the rice ball while perusing a simple flyer about a new special at Ichiraku Ramen when his brother swaggered towards him. Itachi froze slightly, swallowing his food and readied himself. But what happened next was something Itachi had never expected. And that was saying something.

"Oh Sakura, you have such a large, charming forehead. It makes me want to kiss it."

Itachi blinked. He glanced around, realizing it was only the two of them. He pointed at himself, to which Sasuke nodded.

And Itachi was scarred for life.

What has Konaha done to my brother?!

Itachi flashed out of there. Itachi wouldn't really mind spending time with Sasuke _but not like that_.

Please forgive any errors. Thank you to those who reviewed, favorited, and/or followed. Just seeing that people are interested in reading this made me freak out more than Inosaurus. Kakashi joins us next chapter so be prepared. If you have any funny ideas or would like to see a certain scene, just review and I'll totally try to include it. Thank you all once again!


	3. Chapter 3

"Wait! Tell me what you think of Naruto!" A voice called out out as Itachi flashed away. He could only land roughly fifty yards away behind a large oak tree. His pale hand reached and gently touched his pounding head.

He had been flashing quite a few times and it was obvious this body could not handle the repetitive use of chakra. To be honest, the only thing this weak body had going for it was that it had amazing chakra control. His control hadn't been this refined when he first started to use chakra. His train of thought was broken after another round of yelling poured out of his brother's mouth.

There's no way that was his brother. It couldn't be or Itachi was totally disowning him.

"Sakura! Where are you? You just disappeared." Sasuke called out, pacing nearby. Did Sakura see through his henge? And how did she just vanish? His shoulders slumped and with an air of disappointment, made his way towards the Academy.

Itachi sighed in relief. Relying on the position of the sun, he ascertained that he had roughly 40 minutes until the end of lunch. So he slid down the smooth bark and leaned against his tree. The dark green grass softly pricked his uncovered legs. Stretching out, he patted his tree.

Trees were nice. They don't scream like reptilian monsters or henge into little brothers. Of all the messed up things that were happening to him today, this tree was the epitome of normal. And Itachi liked that.

If it weren't for the internal hysteria that was raging within, the boy in a girl's body would have certainly noticed a particular chakra signature he knew as well as he knew himself, staring wonderingly at the pink child hugging a tree and muttering curses about how unfair life was. The Copy Cat ninja shrugged and kept going.

Don't mess with the crazy ones, he advised himself. The crazier, the stronger, he reasoned, thinking of a hysterical Kushina Uzumaki when her ramen spilled. She had nearly destroyed Minato's favorite training ground from her tantrum. It would be better for Kakashi to keep going. It wasn't his place to interfere with other people's angst. And he didn't understand women. He leapt away.

Itachi frustratedly wiped the tears from his cheeks. They came unbidden when he started to recall his day's misfortune. He curled up, bringing his knees to his chest. Like a tsunami, he could just feel his emotions before they slammed into him, leaving him breathless with sobs.

He just wanted things to go back to what they used to be.

Before he became a prepubescent girl.

Before he joined the Akatsuki.

Before he ruined his brother's life.

Before Shisui...

Before he was assigned the mission that sealed his fate along with everyone else's.

Back to when he was happy. Sparring with Shisui, playing with Sasuke, bypassing his father's whims, and feeling the weight of his mother's warm eyes and arms that held him; the same kindness that saw through his blank facade and knew he was breaking apart on the inside.

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After calming down from his emotional rampage, he made his way towards the Academy. The sound of his blue shoes methodically striking the light pavement was soothing. That can't happen again, he told himself. That humiliating display made him feel weak, feel powerless. If he couldn't even control his own body, he was going to be in charge of his feelings!

And thus he made his way to Sakura's teammates after his pep talk. He knew he had around twenty minutes of lunch left but he wanted time observe the other ninja in hopes of noticing any suspicious behavior. Hopefully there wouldn't be any mention of the lunch incident, as it was most likely Naruto who henged into his little brother. After all, he did ask what Sakura thought of him. He'd probably be too embarrassed and distracted by the team formation to bring it up later.

Itachi found it peculiar that Naruto would specifically henge into Sasuke and then pursue Sakura (aka him) to find out his opinion. Itachi didn't know why Naruto was too shy to ask directly. Maybe Naruto and Sakura were fighting, and he wondered how she was feeling but didn't want to upset her?

But he could have used any person for that. In fact, it seemed that Naruto and Sasuke didn't get along much, revealed by the incessant glaring. Why would Naruto henge into him of all people?

Perhaps Sakura and his little brother had some sort of connection. That would explain why Naruto was sure that henging into Sasuke would yield positive results. But there's no way that Naruto could have foreseen Itachi entering Sakura's body.

Unless that was exactly what Naruto was counting on. Naruto had been observing closely, as if searching for some strange reaction. Was it possible that he was testing Sakura, to see if her reaction to a familiar and assumably trusted person would match her normal response? Maybe, but why Sasuke?

Itachi recalled the cold look Sasuke had directed towards him (her-or whatever Itachi is now) when walking in. If Sakura and Sasuke had a bond, close enough that she would react in a specific and positive way, why would he brush her off?

Unless...Itachi recalled Ino's words from this morning. She had mentioned that she would beat Sakura and sit next to Sasuke. Why would a detail like that provoke Sakura?

The most logical answer would be that Sakura had a crush, as well as Ino, on Sasuke.

Awwww man. He SO didn't want to be his own brother's fangirl.

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The early afternoon sun found Itachi in the same classroom as before, awaiting his team's tardy sensei. Naruto and Sasuke sighed in tandem and, repulsed by the simultaneous gesture, began glaring at one another. Itachi, once slumped onto the surface of the smooth desk, perked up once he felt the familiar flash of chakra. Naruto and Sasuke were oblivious.

"Hehe, I know what to do," Naruto grinned mischievously and placed the worn black chalk eraser on top of the door frame, "that's what he gets for making us wait so long."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "A real shinobi would never fall for that." The contempt laced with his mocking tone riled Naruto up.

"You'll-"

The door slid open, revealing a masked man with a shock of bright silver hair. He wore the standard uniform, a green vest over dark clothing, which wasn't a requirement for Jounin unless directed by the Hokage.

Kakashi Hatake wasn't a very personal man. If it weren't for the unusual tilt of his forehead protector over his eye and orange book peaking from within a pouch, he would have been the poster child for Konaha shinobi, especially with the mask.

The eraser teetered from the edge until gravity finally claimed its victim. The eraser landed and created a stark contrast with Kakashi's head. For a moment, there was no movement. It was easy for Itachi to hear the restrained breathing of Naruto attempting not to laugh. Kakashi plucked the eraser from his head. He held it delicately and stared in avid fascination. He placed the eraser upon Iruka's desk and glanced at the disdain on Sasuke's face, the amusement and condescension on Naruto's, and the blank countenance upon Sakura's (his).

"My first impression is...I hate you all," Kakashi declared, nonchalantly rubbing his spikey locks, "meet me on the roof in, hmm, say about five minutes." And he flashed away.

The young genin stood in utter silence, completely flabbergasted.

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The two pre-pubescent boys wrenched the gray rooftop door open and rushed onto the roof. Itachi, following at a more sedate pace, then appeared from the doorway and ambled towards the boys collapsed on the steps. Naruto was outright exhausted from sprinting up five flights of stairs while Sasuke attempted to look composed, but he couldn't mask the slightly faster than normal rise of his chest.

As Itachi sat down, he couldn't help but notice how frigid the white steps were against his legs.

Kakashi blatantly read what Itachi was fairly certain was pornographic, completely ignoring his students. Once he came upon a stopping point, he finally addressed them.

"All right. Why don't we get to know each other. Why don't you on the right start?" Kakashi lackadaisically pointed towards Naruto.

"What kind of stuff? We don't even know who you are! Why don't you go first?" Naruto insisted.

"Meh, you know, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams, that sort of thing. For example, I'm Kakashi Hatake. I have many likes and dislikes, my hobbies include things your young ears aren't allowed to hear, and my dreams, well, are none of your business. Now, you go." Kakashi gave a chilly smile to Naruto. Naruto obliviously smiled in return.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki! My likes include pranking and eating ramen, though I dislike waiting three minutes for it. I also like Sakura but I dislike the Teme," at the point, Naruto shot a glare at Sasuke. Sasuke glared right back.

"My dream is to be Hokage, that way everyone will acknowledge and respect me! Believe it." I

Itachi internally smiled at his exuberance and childish naivety. He could appreciate how lively Naruto was. Though he tended to be flashy and obnoxiously loud, uncharacteristic of a shinobi, he was honest and genuine, good qualities that were often lost to their profession of deception and secrecy.

"Now you, oh angsty one. " Sasuke glowered at that.

"I am Sasuke Uchiha. I don't like many things, meanwhile I dislike a multitude of things. My hobbies include training. And my dream..I will make into a reality. I will restore the Uchiha clan and kill a certain someone." Sasuke spoke quietly but the intensity was not lost.

No one spoke for a brief period of time.

Kakashi brightly chirped, "Pinky, you're up."

Itachi's chest ached. Itachi purposefully instilled those very ideals into Sasuke's impressionable mind, even forced him to relive it through genjutsu. This was what Itachi wanted.

It still hurt so badly. My dear brother, I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. Oh please. I wish it weren't so.

But regrets don't matter. It has been done.

Itachi swallowed and spoke despite the grief lodged in the back of his dainty pale throat. "I'm Sakura Haruno. I like reading and my family and dislike immaturity-" Kakashi sputtered out a laugh at the boys- "and thoughtless actions that hurt others. My hobbies include training and shopping for a new outfit because this one is terrible. My dream..," Itachi trailed off.

"Go on," Kakashi prompted.

"My dream is to make things right and hopefully make the world a more peaceful place," he choked out.

There. Hopefully that is what a young teenage girl would say, despite his own feelings mixing in.  
Itachi placed a pale hand upon his aching stomach, wishing his pain and grief away. Or, at least, wishing he could take Sasuke's pain away, even if it were to destroy himself.

"Well, you all are different and ambitious, which is good. Meet me at 5 am tomorrow. We have some survival training to do."

"Kakashi-sensei, we already did survival training in the Academy! Shouldn't we be going on missions now?" Naruto interjected.

Kakashi must have foreseen the interruption and started to giggle. Giggle. He tried to stop the flow of chuckles to no avail.

"Well you see, the thing is that only a small fraction of your class will actually become genin. The failures will be sent back to the Academy. Good luck! Oh, and I don't recommend eating unless you want to vomit." After a brief moment of explaining where to meet, Kakashi disappeared.

Sasuke promptly left, leaving a bonelessly tired Itachi and nervous Naruto.

"Hey Sakura," It took him a short second to realize he was Sakura.

"What is it, Naruto?" Itachi asked, though not unkindly. Naruto seemed surprised but excitement and impatience quickly masked this.

"Do you wanna go out with me? Like...on a date?" He didn't look Itachi in the eyes, instead he looked everywhere else.

So that explained the henge. Naruto liked Sakura, who liked Sasuke, who liked no one.

What a lovely start to a team.

"Oh Naruto. I'm sorry, but I really need to get home. I'll see you tomorrow. " Itachi tempered his words with a smile and left the roof. As soon as he reached the stairwell, he began to run. The sound of his feet pounding the stairs relieved some of the tension he felt.

His calves aches and his stomach wasn't feeling too great either, but Itachi desperately wanted to leave. Today had been too much.

Itachi stopped just in time to prevent slamming into Sasuke. He turned and fixed a cool look upon the flushed girl.

"I will not walk you home or go on a date with you. Don't be annoying and don't hold me back." He stated simply. Itachi couldn't stop the confusion and surprise from appearing on his face.

"Sasuke...I.." Itachi dodged his brother and quickly left through the front door of the Academy.

Sasuke would wonder about the raw pain and grief in Sakura's eyes, and the fact she left without bothering him, but quickly pushed the concern away. There were more important things to attend to, Sasuke thought as he resumed walking to his favorite training ground.

.

After purchasing the stick of dango he promised himself, Itachi listlessly wondered to Sakura's home.

"Welcome home Sakura-chan!" A man with spiked hair and in a loosened yukata called out cheerily. By the way Sakura's mother casually caressed his cheek, Itachi assumed this man was Sakura's father.

"How was your team? Tell us all about it." They smiled. The man wrapped an arm around Sakura's mother's waist.

Itachi had no desire to play pretend with this family, so he mumbled an excuse about feeling exhausted, which was the truth, and retreated to the room he awoke in.

The bed had been remade, the dark green comforter tucked neatly to the sides. Itachi collapsed onto it and curled up.

He remained that way for quite some time before he realized something. He shuddered and prayed for it to go away but it didn't.

Itachi need to pee. Very badly.

It's okay, it's okay, he told himself. This was bound to happen eventually. He tiptoed and entered the familiar bathroom. He gently locked it and hesitantly made his way over to the toilet.

He managed to do his business and after wadding up a massive pile of toilet paper, he managed to clean himself up without feeling any, um, parts. He closed his eyes and pulled his clothes back on.

Itachi felt victorious until he went to flush, which was when an icy feeling of despair rooted into his chest.

There was so much blood.

What was this?!

"We finally got our period! We are a real woman now." A voice inside his head clearly stated.

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.

Sakura -the real one- awoke around the same time Itachi had been searching for weapons in her room. Though she didn't actually know this.

She sat up and glanced around. Fear crept up when she quickly discerned she had no earthly idea where she was. The room she awoke in was rather small, meant for one person. The walls were an earthy brown that matched the smooth looking floor. The futon was basic; white base with a black blanket, which she was currently under. The room only had the basic amenities with nothing personal except for a black cloak with red clouds casually tossed over a chair.

Sakura cautiously raised herself off the futon, only to trip because her legs were way too long. She attempted to catch herself but her arms were too long as well, so she landed harshly onto the wintry floor.

"Ow," she hissed as she successfully stood up. She felt unusually tall. Glancing down at herself, she realized that her clothing was unfamiliar. A loose black shirt hung limply against her (too flat!) chest along with a baggy pair of pants situated around bony hips.

Sakura hesitantly tiptoed to the tiny mirror that perched above a small porcelain sink.

And had to stifle a scream.

Her hair was a beautiful shock of raven black that contrasted against sickly white skin. Dark eyes bored into her face, the intensity increased by the pronounced tear troughs that lined her face. A long and straight nose proudly stood between two cheeks that did not contain any baby fat that she was accustomed to see. Her dark eye brows furrowed in confusion.

What happened to her! She wanted to call out to her parents, to anyone, but something told her that would be a really bad idea.

Sakura began to whimper and tears filled those unfamiliar black eyes. For some reason, she didn't feel like this face was meant for crying.

But who cares when something this terrible happens! Oh what would her Sasuke-kun think when he found out -she peered down her shirt- that she was now a boy!

Panic and hysteria filled her. Fear gripped her chest and made it hard to breathe. Sakura collapsed onto the chair, shock preventing any rational thought processes.

Wait! This could be a genjutsu! Sakura's brain pulled the solution to her problem. She made the hand signs.

"Release!"  
"Release!"  
"Release!"

Nothing happened. (Who does that remind you of?)

In despair, Sakura curled into herself, shoulders hunched and tears streaming. Something told her something was really wrong. So wrong.

What was she going to do?

A knock on the wooden door made Sakura flinch. She lifted her head, revealing tear stained cheeks.

"Itachi, we have been summoned by Leader-sama. Hurry up." A deep and malicious voice called out, effectively breaking the silence. She listened hard to the footsteps until she could no longer discern the sound. Then there was complete silence.

Sakura buried her face into her too bony knees and sobbed.

Thanks for reading and whatnot. Please, if you have any ideas or scenes you would like to read, let me know. Thank you for the support and sorry for any errors.


	4. Chapter 4

A few things to note:

 _"This is Inner Sakura speaking internally."_ \- if it is in the spirit world, it is just normal dialogue

 **This is Sakura thinking to Inner Sakura.**

 _ **"Bold Italics are unison thinking of Inner and Outer Sakura."**_

 _Italics alone are either emphasis or the spirit world._ (you'll see)

Inner Sakura will be addressed, 'Inner' or 'Inner Sakura.' Anything else refers to Sakura herself.

Enjoy!

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Sakura wept. Though she didn't know how, she knew these people were bad . She recalled a brief lesson in the academy about chakra sensing. Iruka-sensei told them that once they had a feel for their own chakra, they could begin sensing others. And since she was easily able to access her chakra, sensing others had come fairly naturally to her.

And from the dense and malevolent chakra signatures she could sense, these people were beyond even the jounin who spoke to them about different career paths once at the Academy. It only helped her feeling of foreboding that the iron stench of blood still lingered from the man who pounded on the door.

She began to hyperventilate. She was in so, so much trouble. Beyond trouble. She was a man in an unknown location, surrounded by very scary ninja! This wasn't a genjutsu or any normal prank; something was horribly

Her vision had began to darken around the edges when a familiar entity spoke.

 _"Get a grip! This is a crappy situation but we are also in danger!"_

 **Inner.** Sakura sobbed. Her only comfort, her only familiarity was

Inner Sakura's tone softened, gentle but firm.

 _"Hey now. Wipe that snot off. What if Sasuke saw you? Not even Ino-Pig can make tear streaks and snot look good! We need to come up with a plan."_

 **But what can we do? It's not like I know how I got here or in this body in the first place!**

 _"Well, that's what we need to figure out. But first, we need a plan. Remember what Iruka-Sensei taught us? The Interrogation Scenario?"_

Of course she did. Her memory was one thing that Sakura had prided herself on. So she easily recalled how the class was split into groups of three and then how two squads were paired up. One squad, Squad A, chose one of its members, the hostage, to receive the secret message from their teacher. The other two members were the rescuers. The second squad, Squad B, was responsible for picking one interrogator and two defenders that would prevent Squad A's rescuers from saving the hostage.

Sakura had been the hostage and she managed to hold up. Though it was really her rescuers and Squad B's defenders doing the bulk of the work, sparring continuously until the allotted time ran out. Her interrogator was half-hearted in his pursuit, after all, nobody wanted to be the villain. Children in the Academy were naive, always wanting to be the hero, always so sure of the themselves and their mediocre ability.

Regardless, she still remembered the training exercise like it was yesterday and not six months ago.

Still, how would remembering that help, Sakura thought to herself bitterly. I may be trapped in this body, but I have no clue how to escape ninja stronger than jounin! And ideally, she didn't want to be in the position where these terrifying people could interrogate her. They would probably torture her beyond repair, looking for answers she honestly didn't have, and once they realized it, she would be disposed of. Probably not respectfully either. Most likely dumped in the middle of a swamp

Her breathing picked up.

 _"Would you quit that? You're just gonna kill us faster by hyperventilating! Seriously, think. What were the steps Iruka-Sensei taught us to follow?"_

Sakura thought hard back to the exercise. Sensei's exercise was basic, but their textbook went into more depth. There were countless amount of scenarios that one could find themselves interrogated in, but there was once she specifically remembered in that chapter.

It had steps to do if a ninja found themselves imprisoned without their captors around! She wasn't a prisoner exactly, but out of all the textbook scenarios, this one seemed the most applicable. After all, there wasn't a 'How to Switch Bodies With Someone You Don't Even Know' chapter.

Sakura backed into the furthest corner of the room from the door and sunk down to the floor. She landed harder than she expected; her new body was taller and caused her to be even less graceful than normal. At least now she could see the room in its entirety. She took a few deep breaths and began to go through each sequential step.

 _"Now we're cooking! Hmm, let's see. First, ascertain if you are in immediate danger."_

Sakura was silent for a moment.

 **No. For the moment, I am in no immediate danger.**

Her pounding heart seemed to refute that.

 _"Alright. Step two said to start collecting intel as unobtrusively as possible."_

Sakura had already familiarized herself with the layout of the room. She detected around nine additional chakra signatures besides hers, but one seemed somewhat muted somehow, as if it were underground. She didn't know for sure, but it was possible that these ninja were working together. She didn't know the goal of these people or if they were responsible for her body change. By the way the man who knocked at the door, it seemed like she was welcome. Or at least it wasn't abnormal for her to be there.

Except she wasn't who they thought she was. Which could get her killed very, very fast.

 **Just great.**

She despaired for a moment longer before she stood up. She had to brace herself against the wall after she mentally thought she was standing before she actually was and almost fell. She took a few wobbly steps until she got used to the comparably giraffic legs.

 _"What are you doing? Where are you going?"_

Sakura put on the simple weapon pouch and slid on the black cloak. The long sleeves easily hid the kunai she was gripping for support in her right

 **I'm collecting intel. Something tells me I don't want to wait for someone to come get me again. I'll just stay quiet and see if I can gather any information that will explain what happened to me. After that, we can decide on a way to escape.**

 _"Che! I knew you would come up with a plan! Go get 'em tiger!"_

Sakura sounded calm, but on the inside she was a mess. Forcing back her feelings of trepidation and foreboding, she opened the door.

A rush of cold air swept around her. The hallway was void of all life. In fact, it appeared as if the walls were made of sheet metal. It was evident this place didn't pride itself on its style. There was a strange sound, like water dripping even though she saw

She took a deep break and left the relative safety of her room.

Following the cluster of chakra signatures, hardly possible to ignore due to how powerfully their chakra pulsated, she slowly made her way through the dark hallway. The air was cold and humid, just barely warm enough to preserve the minimal body heat the cloak was providing. She followed the curving hall left and saw a single door encompassed by light. The mass of chakras were gathered behind this one door.

 _"Don't be afraid to run away. I don't know what happened to make us switch bodies, but this body has some serious chakra and muscle tone. If we strictly ration it, I bet we would be fast enough. "_

Sakura gritted her teeth. As afraid as she was, the last thing she needed was to be given an out. She would love to leave, in fact, her unceasing pounding heart would welcome that option completely. But the logical side of her brain informed her that if she left now, she would lose a lot of intelligence that she would never have access to again. She had to know what happened to her and how to get her body back. And these people could be her only hope.

Besides, maybe these people weren't as bad as she imagined. Just because they were powerful doesn't mean they weren't good. Maybe they could even help her!

With that thought, she twisted the knob and went into the light.

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Sakura was dead wrong. There was nothing remotely welcoming or kind about the - the killers in this room!

As soon as she had walked in, she was immediately assaulted by icy, apathetic stares. She had thought Sasuke-kun's glares were cold, but he was nothing in comparison to them!

 _"Oh my gosh, these people are a bunch of freaks,"_ Inner Sakura shuddered, _"I can't even pick which one I think is the weirdest!"_

Outer Sakura had to agree and tightened her hold on the kunai. To her immediate right, there was this hunched, mound of a man. He barely came up to her waist. He had brown, wrinkly skin and-

 _"He literally has screws. Stay away from him."_

She didn't need to be told

Next to Mound Man, there was a very pretty girl with gorgeous blond hair pulled into a side ponytail. She had a swath of hair framing her face. Her face would have been pretty if it weren't for the twisted look of hatred she was definitely directing at

 _"Great. She doesn't like us, rather, this body very much. Could she be this man's ex girlfriend? Better avoid her too."_

Next to the pretty girl who could have given Ino-Pig a run for her money was a tall man with bright, fluorescent green eyes. His head and tan face were almost completely covered. He would have been the most normal one if it weren't for stitches covering the rest of his exposed

 _"His eyes are literally the same green color as radioactive waste. If you value at least a normal-ish body, stay away."_

Radioactive Man had a what most people would call handsome man standing next to him. His face and overexposed body looked young, but his silver hair revealed his age. His giant, red scythe glinted maliciously in the light and sent a shiver down her

 _"Look at that arrogant smirk on his face. And how he refuses to wear clothes. Our kunoichi classes have prepared us for He HAS to be a womanizer. I know we're like, a dude now, but stay away from him too."_

The man next to the womanizer was seemingly unremarkable besides the swirling orange mask that revealed a single eye. He was gesturing wildly to the Ex-gf. Something about getting dango after their next

 _"Ok, maybe we can talk to him. He seems..energetic, but friendly."_

Mask Dude was standing beside a pretty woman-

 _ **"WHAT IS THAT VEGETABLE GROWING UP FROM THE GROUND,"**_ Inner and Outer Sakura yelled in unison. Internally, of course.

That thing looked similar to a human if it weren't for its Venus flytrap body. Oh, and his face was black and white with short, spikes green

 _"Do I have to say anything about this one?"_

Anyways, the Venus Flytrap appeared next to a woman with blue hair. She was beautiful but she went a little heavy with the eye makeup and piercings, in Sakura's opinion. The delicate paper flower in her hair contradicted the hardcore look she was going for to be honest. Regardless, she felt some kinship with the woman because Sakura totally understood what it was like to have unusual

Speaking of unusual hair, the man next to the blunette had bright orange hair and tons of facial piercings. It was sort of hot,

 _"What are you saying! Sasuke-kun is way hotter than this dude. He looks more metal than human!"_

Of course Sakura knew a taken man when she saw one. It was obvious that Metal Man and Paper Girl were an item. They had matching piercings and Paper Girl seemed to hover over the

Sakura was picturing them getting matching tattoos when Metal Man stared her dead in the eyes and spoke.

"Itachi, you and Kisame did well on your last mission. Regardless of whether you two think a seemingly empty piece of parchment was worth it, the scroll will play a large role in capturing the jinchuuriki."

 _"He was looking at you when he said that. So this body's name is Itachi? That's a pretty hot name for a hot dude like us!"_

Inner, we don't have time to be distracted by how hot we are. Focus! For all the crap Inner Sakura gave Outer Sakura, she certainly did not seem to be taking things seriously.

"Oh? That's a relief, isn't it, Itachi?" said a voice from behind her.

A large hand smacked down on Sakura's shoulder. Sakura whirled around and immediately wished she hadn't. Behind her was an incredibly tall man with blue skin and _gills._ He had dark blue hair and grinned down at her with sharp, spiked teeth.

 _"Oh my gosh, he looks like a shark. Like, for real. He has gills. And pointy teeth. And he is touching us!"_

"Sheesh Itachi, don't be so jumpy! It's just your favorite partner." And the Shark dude winked at her.

Sakura passed out.

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Sakura awoke to the sound of voices. She tried to open her eyes to see who was there, but any bit of light seared her retinas. Her body was so heavy. She couldn't move.

"Pein, something is off about Itachi. His chakra feels unbalanced and it keeps spiking."

"Very well, Kisame. You may send for a medic."

 **Hey Inner, do you know what is going on? What made me pass out?**

There was no reply.

 **Inner! What's happening? Everything hurts real bad**. Sakura whimpered.

After trying to call for her inner several more times with no answer, Sakura succumbed to the overwhelming pain and passed out.

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 _Sakura awoke once more, but her room was silent. The intense pain that had radiated her body before she passed out again was gone, but she was still hesitant to open her eyes. Gathering her courage, she opened them. She was in the same room she had woken up in the very first time. She sat up and glanced around. The room was void of people and light._

 _"I guess it must be nighttime now." Sakura said aloud and nearly jumped. Her voice sounded like normal and not like a man's! She promptly glanced down to her body and gasped. Her hands looked odd, almost as if her hands-_

 _Her hands were see-through! Sakura jumped out of bed and screamed. The male body she had inhabited was still lying on the bed. Sakura herself was transparent, like a ghost._

lololol I know I haven't updated in ages but heartbreak and finishing your first year of college makes for pretty big distractions. Sorry for any errors and thanks for reading! I'll be elaborating on the spirit world next chapter, plus Sakura and Itachi officially meet.


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